William Jennings Bryan

(1860-1925)

By John Eichlin

General:

Bryan was an important political figure of the era who was many times
considered the cornerstone of the Democratic Party. He became very involved
in the issues surrounding the Spanish-American War, even joining the general
militia. He is many times criticized for both his views and actions duringthis
time.

Biography:

William Jennings Bryan was born on March 19, 1860 in Salem, Illinois.
His parents, Silas and Mariah, were a very religious couple who suffered
a great deal over the premature death of two of William's three older siblings.
The childhood atmosphere in which he grew up was very religiously and politically
oriented. After graduating from Illinois College and Union College of Law,
Bryan followed in his father's footsteps by combining the closely related
professions of law and politics. He soon became renowned as an excellent
orator and took full advantage of this gift.

Bryan's great rise into politics came through his ardent support
of bimetallism, which earned him the support of both the Democratic Party
and the rural Populist Party. A chief figure among Democrats, he unsuccessfully
ran for government positions several times. Generally, as a politician,
he considered himself the voice of the common person and a great advocate
of individualism.

With the advent of the controversy in Cuba, Bryan remained unusually
uninvolved and continued the remain focused upon the issues of silver currency.
As the political currents of his contemporaries shifted in favor of a conflict
with Spain, he began to ardently campaign for Cuban independence. He argued
that America was responsible for spreading the virtues of democracy to
such a close neighbor. Waving a small Cuban flag in one hand and a small
American one in the other, he excited large crowds in favor of his optimistic
ideals.

At the start of the war, Bryan offered his services to his chief
political opponent, President McKinley. Before
the president assigned him a particular duty, he volunteered as a private
in the Nebraska militia, eventually becoming colonel of the Third Nebraska
Volunteer Infantry, nicknamed the "Silver Regiment." In July of 1898, his
regiment joined the Seventh Corps at Camp Cuba Libre near Jacksonville,
Florida. His men saw no active service, but were plagued by typhoid fever
and malaria .

After the war, Bryan became a staunch supporter of the Anti-Imperialist
League and protested the proposal for the U.S. annexation of the Philippines,
declaring that his support of the war had been purely in the name of freedom.
The colonialism he saw in this act contradicted the very values which the
war was supposed to challenge.

To the surprise of his contemporaries, however, he outspokenly approved
the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, which provided for the Philippine
annexation. He felt the islands had a greater chance of receiving freedom
after control had been given to America than if they had remained
in Spanish possession. His active support for the treaty may have greatly
influenced its narrow ratification. As a result, many of his fellow anti-imperialist
politicians criticized his actions, declaring him a traitor to his cause
and accusing him of feigning interest against imperialism merely to gain
more power for the currency issue, which was most dear to him.

Despite this criticism, Bryan closely counted upon his anti-imperialist
stance during the presidential election of 1900. Running for the Democratic
and Populist parties against Republican candidate William
McKinley, he believed that the course of American foreign policy would
be the decisive issue of the campaign. Unfortunately, McKinley beat Bryan
by a larger margin than he had in 1896. In truth, the campaign was not
as based upon imperialism as he had believed. The main issues in many of
the voters' minds were in fact domestic issues, such as economic policy.

Bryan declared his anti-imperialistic views a result of his sense
of social justice. Quoting role model Thomas Jefferson, he declared in
a famous campaign speech in Indiana, " ' I know but one code of morality
for men, whether acting singly or collectively ' " (Ginger 63). Colonial
governments represented exploitation and organized robbery.

A racist perspective also influenced his point of view. In a quest
to keep the American population homogenous, he feared the annexation of
the Pacific islands would bring dissension and confusion to American politics.
His contemporaries argued, since they felt the islanders so inferior, the
groups needed American guidance and protection.

In 1925, Bryan, at age 65, became prominent again as a prosecutor
in the Scopes trial, which determined whether or not evolution should be
allowed to be taught in American public schools. With the end of the trial,
Bryan was exhausted and soon became very sick. He died on July 26, 1925.

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